Spring-wheel.



H. G. KNIGHT.

SPRING WHEEL. APPLICATION TILED JULYB, 1911.

UNITED STATES rPATENT OFFICE..

HERBERT c. Knien-ir, or PORTLAND, iviAInE.

srarNG-wH-nnr..

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application ined July'e, 1911. seria1No; ear/,180. p

To all wzomc' may concern Be it known that I, HERBERT C. KNIGHT, of Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SpringlVheels, of which the following is a specitication. y

This invention relates to vehicle wheels and has particular reference to that type in which resilience of the tread is provided for by springs instead of by pneumatic tire.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide; a wheel of this type which presents a tread which, at any point, is capable of a universal yielding to attain as closely as possible the effect of a pneumatic tire.

Another object is to provide a structure having the rim composed of a series of sections which are held in their normal positions by the balance of springs acting in opposite directions.

Other objects are durable, and effective wheel of this character, by improvements which will be de'- scribed and pointed `out in the appended claims.

Of the accompanying drawings,-Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken out and in section, of a suiiicient portion of a wheel to illustrate my invention in one of its embodiments. Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3dS of Fig. 1. Fig. 4l repre sents a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 5;. Figs. 5 and 6 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 2 respectively,y of diferent embodiments of some of the features of my invention.

Similar reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in all ofthe views.

The body of the wheel, having any suitable spolre and hub construction, may be formed as a casting, including'the inner rim 10 and flange 11. The rim 10 is provided with radial, and preferablyinwardly tapering, pockets 12, for the helical load springs 13; A flange 14 opposite the flange 11 is removably secured to ther'im 10' by screws or bolts 15.

The springs 13` support a circular series of yieldingly connected blocks or 'sections which compose the yielding or flexibley outer rim ofthe wheel. In the construction shown in Figs; 1 and 2, each of said blocks or sections consists of two members 16 and 17 ,i

pivotally connected by trunnions 18, the

to provide a simple,

outer ends of which pass through apertures in the upper ends of two. end plates 19, the lower endsv of which are connected.` by bolts 20 with the inner member 16.4 nionsare secured to thel outer member 17 jby bolts 21. By this construction the two members 16 and 17 are held together seth-at they can only move radially yas a: lWhole, while providing'a pivotal connection that enables the outer member to` rock or tilt under lateral pressure when the automobile or other vehicle equipped with such wheels tends. to cause` extra pressure'k toward :one side; To yieldingly resist suchV rocking or tilting of the outerA member 17, suitable springs 22 are provided. I illustrate four of such springs contained in suitable spaces provided therefor, two on each side ofeach tru'nn'ion,said `springs bearing against the bottom of said` spacesaiid suitable faces. or shoulders 23 presented by the outer member 17. Secured to the outer face of the outer member 17 is a olate or shoe 2a carrying a tread Vpiece 25. o rubber or `-other desirable material;V Projecting inwardly from the inner member 16 isa lugor nipple 26... which enters thefupper end of spring 13. Within tlie lower end of spring 13A is arrauxiliary spring 27 the length of which relatively to the length of nipple 26, is such that, before the load spring 13 is. unduly collapsed, the lower end of the nipple will contact'with the auxiliary spring so that the latter will, also oppose the results of severe jolts. or shocks ybefore the shoulders or abutments 28 of th-e inner member'are reached by the portions of the outermember which are formed to coact withy said shoulders or abutments to finally limit lcompression ofthe springs. Said shoulders 28 maybe abrupt, as showin at the left in Fig. 2, or inclined as shown at the right in vsaid ligure.

All ofthe blocks orl sections which compose the riin or circular series, are connected together as presently described; but itis desirable that each section shall be individually held to substantially a iven posi-tion radially of the wheel. Therefore, I prdvide a guiding bolt 29y mountedv in flanges 11,114, said bolt passing through a radially elongated space 30 which is not only long enough tofperr-nit the block or section to have' all necessaryradia'l movement, but is also wide Patented ov. 11, 1913. f

The trun- A power appliedV to a driving axle having suc-h l endniserelatively to each other. As shown wheels, or when brakes are suddenly applied. Such movementof the blockor section is resisted more or less by the mounting of the springs 13 in their pockets, but itis also resisted by all of the springs 13 of the Vseries owing to the connections between all` of the sections as presently described. It will therefore be understood that, within lthe limits prescribedby the construction of thewheel, the tread surfaces of the blocks or sections are capable of an absolute universal movement relatively to the body ofv the wheel, as is the case with the tread surface of a pneumatic tire, and that the movements 4in any direction are spring-opposed. This universal movement is permitted because the outer member 17 can rock laterally about vtheairis ofl the trunnions 18, which latter are carried by the inner member 16 of the Y section. Said inner member is Vfree to rock iit corresponding surfaces of portions of the in the vdirection ofthe circumference of the ywheelwithin the limits prescribed by the pin'and slot connections between the outer members of the sections. This last mentioned rocking isfcontrolled by the springs 13 and 33,- which latter will be presently described.v As the two planes of permissible rocking are at a right angle to each other and sincethe compound sections 16, 17 can yield inwardly between the flanges 11 and 14, the result is that the tread portion of each section is' permitted to have a universal movement within the limits prescribed by the construction illustrated and described. As shown in Fig. 2, all strain of lateral pressure is rnot borne bythe trunnions 18, for the sidesof portionsv of the outer member 17 are shaped as arcs struck from the center of thegtrunnions, and: these arc-shaped sides j inner mein-ber f 16.

- vSecured in each end plate 19 is a headed projection, such as a strong screw 31, a collar 32`being mounted on .the screw back of its head.V The collars 32 of each pair of opposl ing adjacent,k screws are connected by a spring 33 normally under tension to tend to draw the blocks .or sections toward each other, the tendency of therentire series of springs 33 being to reduce Vthe diameter of the rimfmade upofgthe series of sections, in opposition to the load springs 13. The normal diameter the rim is therefore eected by a balance between the springs 13 and 33 so that excepting in case of excessive shock or jolt, noresilient movement in any direction is Vbroughtto a suddentermination; this results in securing a smoothl and easy run- 60y ning. a

Preferably the-members'17 Aare connected together at their adjacent ends, and

connections as will permit them to approach and recedefrom each other yand to also permit them to rock or oscillate Figs. 3 and 5) vided with vradial pockets,

in Figs. 1, 3, and 5, the ends of the members 17 have alternating projections and recesses which slidingly fit together. A pin or bolt 34 is mounted in openings in the projections 35 of one member 17 and passes through slots 36 in the projections of the next member 17. The head "37 of the bolt is elongated (see and lits an elongated recess in the outer face of one of the projections, so that said bolt is Jthereby held from turning. The nut'38 of the bolt is surrounded by a washer 39 which tits an elongated recess in the outer face of a projection at the other side of the member 17. This construction permits of the relative movements of the blocks or sections as described, and so that only a very small portion of the sectional rim will be moved toward the axle (one, two or three sections) due to the weight of the vehicle. The bolts 3e normally occupy positions intermediate the ends of the slots 36, due to the action of springs 13 in one direction and the action of springs 33 in the opposite direction.

Practically the only difference between the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is that in said Figs. 5 and 6 the blocks or sections, instead of being made of two members each, are single blocks or sections l0 having resilient tread pieces 41 secured in any suitable manner to their outer faces. Such single blocks have spaces 30 for the bolts 29, are pressed outwardly by springs 13, and held together by springs 33 and jointed together by bolts 36,.al l substantially the same as in Figs. 1 and 2.

I claim:

1. A vehicle wheel having a rigid rim provided with radial pockets, and an outer yielding rim composed of a series of spaced sections each having a transverse opening,

the rigid rim having transverse pins passing throughsaid openings, the openings being larger than the pins to permit the sections to move radially and toward and froml each other, said sections having slot and pin connections with each other, load springs in the radial pockets to resist inward movement of the sections, and springs connecting the sections together, the last mentioned springs being under tension to act to reduce the diameter of the series of sections in opposition to the load springs.

2. A vehicle wheel having a rigid rim proand an outer yielding rim composed of a series of spaced sections each having a transverse opening, the rigid rim having transverse pins passing through said openings, the openings being larger than the pins to permit the sections to move radially and toward and from each other, said sections comprising inner and outer members pivotally connected, the pivots being substantially :it :i right angle to the said transverse pins whereby the outer members can tiltlaterally relatively to the inner members, the outer members hei-ving slot and pin connections With each other,-loa.d springs in the radial pockets to resistinward movement of the compound sections, springs conneeting the sections together, the last mentioned springs being under tension to act t0 reduce the diameter of the series of oom-l pound sections in opposition to the load springs, and springs for resisting lateral tilting of the outer members ofthe sections.r

3. A spring Wheel having its rim composed Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents eachfoy addressing the of a series of loosely connected seotions'each being yieldlngly movable radially, springs oonneetin g the sections, each section comprising lnner and outer members, the outer members being mounted to tilt'laterally relatively tothe inner members, and springs between the inner and outerVV members of the sections. In testimony whereof I have atixedl my signatnrqin presence of two Witnesses.

, HERBERT e. KNIGHT.

' Witnesses: Y

vlll/'INFIELD S. HovnY,

Lizzm L. KNIGHT.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

